Chapter 63

“But, but! Anne is the uncle’s daughter!”

Silence. The world falls into a hush at the shocking statement, then soon erupts like a boiling pot.

I looked down at myself. My body, which had endured asceticism solely to fulfill my mission, remained slender with no signs of pregnancy. Even when I placed my hand on my stomach, I couldn’t feel any pulse other than my own.

What if it wasn’t true? What if the pregnancy itself was a lie or just a figment of my imagination? Or, even if it was real, what if I had miscarried due to physical or emotional shock?

I couldn’t answer any of it. I didn’t know. All I could do was believe and pray. Pray that Ailim wouldn’t be cruel enough to take everything from me.

“What…?”

Perhaps the Inquisition Temple’s council thought I might spout some half-baked excuses. That I might try to justify or rationalize my actions in some way. They must have prepared extensively to shatter any logical defenses I might raise.

But I didn’t offer any excuses. I calmly accepted it. The footprints I left, the sins I committed—all of it was my burden to bear. I embraced it all and opened a path in a completely different direction.

I’m not running away. I’m just delaying it a little, just a little. Because there’s something I must do.

“A heretic cannot bear a child.”

I carefully swept my hand over my stomach. A stomach that might or might not hold the seed of life. But if it did…

That would be the last trace Louis left in this world.

“In the end, Louis became a heretic. I won’t deny that fact. It was my failure, my lack of virtue.”

And my child. Just the thought of it brought forth an unfamiliar emotion bubbling up in my mind. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Soft, warm…

It’s okay, don’t worry, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you, both you and your father.

“But the person I loved was once human.”

“Sinner Anne. I won’t claim ignorance of the sins committed by the one you love.”

“All of it is his sin. And mine as well.”

The boundaries I had set earlier became meaningless. I stepped out from my original position and walked to the center of the plaza. The setting sun shone directly above, and not just the eyes of those seated in the judgment seat, but everyone’s gaze was fixed on me.

But I no longer felt the burden. Even without grand gestures, all eyes were on me. Even without raising my voice, everyone was already listening to my words.

“But the child is innocent, isn’t it?”

Call me petty and despicable if you want. I will survive. With what you left me.

“…That is true.”

After a brief silence, the judge, with the sun at his back, spoke again.

“But words alone. You have no evidence to prove your claim. There are no signs to believe you are with child.”

Early pregnancy. Aside from morning sickness, there are no visible signs. And it’s not like I can eat something here to prove it.

Wait until my belly swells—such a request would be too obvious. Of course, they wouldn’t grant it. This is the critical moment. If I can break through this situation…

As I was about to speak, a robed figure emerged from the crowd. The temple guards, who should have prevented any audience from intruding, obediently made way as if they had been instructed beforehand.

The hood fell back from the hurried steps, and amidst the fluttering silver hair, blue eyes—resembling mine, or perhaps I resembled them—shone through.

“There is evidence!”

A voice full of appeal spread through the air. Despite being an unfamiliar intruder, the crowd’s reaction was quite favorable. Whether it was because the person was famous and respected, or because the cry was so earnest that it touched people’s souls.

Even the one who seemed like the Incarnation of Law flinched for a moment. Soon, the judge also respectfully lifted his hood, as if acknowledging the intruder.

“Cardinal François. You could have sat in this seat if you wished… Quite an impressive entrance.”

“Please forgive me, Cardinal Gamon.”

François, the one responsible for this hearing, spoke calmly while looking at Gamon, a cardinal of the same rank. That François was looking up at Gamon, showing him respect, didn’t necessarily mean there was a hierarchy between them.

It was merely a difference in disposition and stance. Even though François was once a candidate for Pope, he had recently made several political missteps. His only flaw—that is, I had committed a sin and tarnished the honor of a cardinal.

Yet, François was making another misstep. Again, for my sake.

“I didn’t want to accuse you with my own mouth, in my own name.”

“…Very well.”

Don’t do this, as if I would forgive you now…

But my cowardly lips stayed shut at this moment. The promise you asked of me, the oath I made to your child, wasn’t something I could discard for the sake of petty pride.

“Please look at this.”

François took out a crumpled piece of parchment from his robe. Despite the high-quality material, it was a mess, with ink smeared all over from rough handling. Still, the writing was legible.

As it passed from hand to hand, I easily read its contents. The testimony of the healer who diagnosed me during my first bout of morning sickness. And the medical report from the healer who treated me after I collapsed from Louis.

The possibility of pregnancy is high, but not certain. Though my body was battered, there were surprisingly few signs of attack around the abdominal area.

A possibility, nothing certain. But a seed too clear to trample recklessly.

“So, it’s not a lie.”

Gamon didn’t seem to doubt François. Reluctantly, my father had lived a life of integrity and fairness, except for that ‘one flaw.’

So, even if he had the power and motive to fabricate evidence, he wouldn’t doubt its authenticity. Instead, his gaze turned from François to me.

“But that still doesn’t prove the child is a heretic’s, or that the heretic was once human.”

Gamon’s voice remained as flat and calm as before. Utterly indifferent and serene. Simply pointing out what needed to be addressed as the person in charge of this hearing. There was no personal sentiment in it.

All his actions were based on universal good, universal justice. A logic so obvious even a child would nod in agreement. Those who commit sins must be punished. If there is an innocent, the truth must be revealed. Gamon’s words were no different.

He was merely asking whether Louis was truly a heretic, or if he retained some humanity, as I claimed.

“How can we believe that an Inquisition Judge, who abandoned her duty, upheld the duties of a wife?”

-And yet, hearing those words, my mind burned white.

I raised my arm as if requesting the right to speak. But my mouth opened before I was granted permission.

“The person I loved.”

“The person I loved, the person I will continue to love, the person I held in my heart and in my arms.”

“-Was only one.”

A part of my frozen rational mind acknowledged the validity of that statement. Heretics cannot impregnate. And Louis had been a heretic for too long to retain any humanity. So, it was natural to have such doubts.

It was simpler and more realistic to think that I had multiple lovers rather than believe that the remnants of Louis’s humanity miraculously manifested.

But how dare you.

Doubt my love?

“I swear-”

My arm, raised as if to grasp the sun, slowly lowered. Of course, bare hands cannot grasp light, but the muscles in my thin arm were already filled with divine grace.

The power granted by God can also be taken away by God’s will. One of the main reasons Inquisition Judges fall into heresy is because they don’t want to lose the superhuman power that comes with the Holy Body extracted upon retirement.

And the Holy Body had not yet been extracted from me. The power within me was more abundant than ever, to the point where I couldn’t even gauge it.

“-I swear to Ailim.”

My small, unarmed fist, not even wearing a glove, struck the ground.

**Boom!**

A deafening explosion. Dust flew everywhere. I watched as the beautifully paved marble shattered into pieces, fragments scattering in all directions. I stared wide-eyed, not blinking, not shedding a single tear—not for you.

The dust quickly settled. In the tense atmosphere, feeling the cold touch of spears and swords aimed at my neck, I calmly smiled. With God’s protection, do you think mere blades could even scratch me?

The spot where my fist struck was a mess, as if struck by lightning rather than a human hand. I shuddered at the destruction I had wrought.

It was similar to the destruction caused by a mace. And now, I was unarmed. I had shattered stone with my bare hands, yet my white skin bore not a single scratch.

“I will not run from my sins. I will not evade the punishment I deserve. I could run away right now, but the fact that I remain here is proof.”

Gamon, the judge, still looked down at me. But his presence no longer felt intimidating. There should be an insurmountable gap between us, both physically and socially.

No, physically, it wasn’t that far. In the past, perhaps, but now I could reach him in a single leap.

“But will you abandon those you can save for the sake of those you couldn’t…?”

Surely, that’s one path. Breaking through the Inquisition Temple with superhuman strength, or staging a hostage situation. There’s no need for pointless probability games or relying on others’ mercy and kindness.

Yet, I chose to stay. In this trial ground, under the watchful sun, with spears and swords flashing. I had already done many shameful things, and I didn’t want to become even more shameful.

Even if I’m not remembered as a good person, a good wife, or a good mother.

To my child, who will grow up amidst persecution and hardship, to your child who will hear endless slander about me, I want to say this. Even if I couldn’t be by your side then, even if I abandoned my duty as an Inquisition Judge and became a traitor.

I loved you.

“Sinner Anne. I have heard the logic you preached in the Inquisition Temple.”

The council’s leader spoke and fell silent. But the plaza wasn’t entirely quiet, filled with the low murmurs of the gathered crowd and the busy scribbling of scribes recording the event.

As if there was a limit to sound, when the gathered elders began to declare in unison, all noise quickly subsided. As the world fell silent and listened, the conversation continued.

“But what was the result? By showing mercy and the possibility of salvation as you preached, countless innocents were sacrificed. And yet, you, a sinner, shamelessly ask for mercy again?”

“Yes.”

“Why? The power you displayed is truly astonishing. Why should we, the Order, spare you, who have clearly committed sins? No shackles, no restraints could hold you. What reason is there to take on such a risk?”

I swallowed the torrent of absurd and fantastical words rising in my throat. There’s no need for clumsy logic to distract. Even though I received political training, I can’t outwit these seasoned political monsters who have lived and breathed politics for decades.

No, in fact, a single sentence would suffice to persuade them.

“Because it is Ailim’s will.”

Love, show mercy.

The discussion was brief, and now the verdict is delivered.

Of course, formal procedures must be followed before the sentence is carried out, but the conclusion reached in front of so many people won’t be overturned later. Here, their words will decide my fate.

“Hear me!”

The opinions were quickly gathered. Representing the council, Gamon, with a voice that belied his age, declared the verdict.

**”Sinner Anne, as an Inquisition Judge, not only spared a heretic who should have been eliminated, but also exerted influence, both tangible and intangible, to release the heretic from the Inquisition Temple.”**

**”Furthermore, the sinner took the heretic into her mansion as if it were a pet, and despite bearing the duty of strict management, neglected the heretic, ultimately leading to a horrific tragedy.”**

**”Although the sinner has made significant contributions in serving the Lord, the sins outweigh the merits, as too many lives have been lost. The sin is deep and profound.”**

**Thud. Thud. Thud.** The clear sound of the gavel struck everyone’s consciousness.

**”Therefore, Sinner Anne is sentenced to death!”**